Is the Traktor Kontrol S2 the Best DJ Controller for You?

From a beginner DJ just starting out to a seasoned pro looking for a portable solution, the Traktor Kontrol S2 is the best value DJ controller available today.

The Traktor Kontrol S2 is being offered at discounted price. Click to see it at: Amazon.com or Juno.co.uk

The two deck, 2.1 or 2+1 set up means that you’ve got two decks on two channels and a mixer with a dedicated third channel for Traktor Pro 2’s powerful sample decks.

The Traktor Kontrol S2 stands out as the best two deck DJ controller with awesome features like:

High quality, high sensitivity, electromagnetic jog wheels,

Hot cue trigger buttons for loops and sample decks

Excellent high quality, solid, robust, construction

Perfect integration between hardware and software

Superb sound quality

Portable size – USB plug and play

Among DJ friends of mine, the Traktor Kontrol S2 is quickly becoming a very popular choice for DJs who usually spin on vinyl and CDJ.

For me, it’s an excellent, high quality choice that’s perfect for traveling and home use while being highly capable of any DJ performance with the enhanced creative potential found in the hot cue trigger buttons and sample decks.

Check out this video to see Ean Golden’s Traktor Kontrol S2 Depeche Mode Live Remix:

Traktor Pro 2 DJ Software

The latest version of Traktor Pro 2 DJ software simply rocks. It has really taken on the DJ software world and put itself on top as the most used DJ software today. With so many improvements like the color waveforms, rock solid performance and new sample decks there is no better time to DJ with Traktor Pro 2. And it only gets better when controlled by Native Instruments own Traktor Kontrol S2 DJ controller giving the DJ perfect integration between software and hardware.

I should also mention that data is transferred between controller, computer and software at a rate of 30 times more than standard MIDI protocol used by most other DJ controllers. This simply makes for lightning quick response and connection between computer and controller.

If you’re wondering, what is the best DJ controller for Traktor Pro 2? The answer is here: Traktor Kontrol S2 and Traktor Kontrol S4.

Layout – Feel & Play

The Traktor Kontrol S2 layout is basically two decks and a mixer with a third channel for samples and loops plus hot cue trigger buttons and controls for 32 powerful effects.

High Quality Electromagnetic Jog Wheels

The jog wheels on the S2 are high quality electromagnetic jog wheels offering the same or better feel and performance than most professional CDJs. The high sensitivity is at a resolution of 1000 points per revolution with quick and accurate responsiveness. The top of the platter is touch sensitive and switch activated.

Mixer, Faders, Knobs

The ergonomics of the mixer section are intuitive and comfortable for such a compact DJing solution. EQ’s for hi, mids and lows sit to both sides of the additional samples knob, an innovative way to mix in the audio of the third ‘samples/loops’ channel in one quick twist of the wrist. All knobs on the Traktor S2 are rubberized and the faders move smoothly and accurately contributing to the high quality overall feel and play of the controller.

Browsing Tracks

Browsing tracks is made simple with a single browser knob for scrolling your library, then simply push it in for toggling the browser layout. There are two buttons for load into deck A and load into deck B.

Trigger Buttons, Hot Cues, Sample Decks

Up to eight one-shot samples or beat-synced loops can be added on the fly with the hot cue trigger buttons on the Kontrol S2. This feature also available in the Traktor Kontrol S4 (link amazon) has shown us that we can now remix tracks on the fly. This is where controllerism gets cool and a new world of DJ performance sets in.

Superb Sound Quality

The Traktor Kontrol S2 has a built-in high performance audio interface capable of producing high quality and especially high volume output with supreme clarity. The audio quality is crisp and punchy and ready to rock any party.

Compared to Traktor Kontrol S4

The Traktor Kontrol S2 is a more compact, portable and affordable version of Native Instruments game-changing DJ controller, the Traktor Kontrol S4. The S4 has really brought DJ controllers out of the bedroom and into the club with new innovative features and high performance.

Where the S4 may be a little large to carry in your rucksack, the S2 should fit right in making the S2 the ideal DJ controller for DJs like myself who want a pro quality DJ controller that can easily be traveled with.

Separate booth audio outputs

It seems that Native Instruments feels that they missed one feature on the S4 that has been added into the S2. The Traktor S2 has a separate booth audio output in addition to the standard audio output.

When it comes to sound and build quality, both controllers are made to the highest standards with the same high quality materials. The main difference is that the S2 is simply 2 decks and the S4 is 4 decks.

Who is it for?

I recommend the Traktor Kontrol S2 for any DJ from beginner to Pro who wants a high quality two deck DJ controller with awesome sound and extra features and effects for creative mixing. It’s an excellent choice for beginners, hobbyists, club DJs and mobile/event DJs.

Pro Quality 2-Deck DJ Controller

Native Instruments is calling the Traktor Kontrol S2the most professional 2-deck DJ controller on the market and I certainly won’t argue with that. With its 2.1 design you get 2 decks and a mixer with controls for up to 32 pro effects and a third channel for sample decks all rolled into a rugged and highly portable package that’s as easy as plug and play.

The hot cue trigger buttons and sample decks add a whole new dimension to creative DJing and the size and quality of the Traktor Kontrol S2 make it the perfect DJ controller for traveling and DJing anywhere at anytime.